Electrical connection means



April 4, 1939. DQUGLAS 2,153,176

ELECTRICAL CONNECTION MEANS Filed Aug. 23, 1935 LN NTOK EVZW, MMMQW ATTo wings Patented Apr. 4, 1939 PATENT OFFICE ELECTRICAL CONNECTION MEANS Harry A. Douglas, Bronson, Mich, assignor to Kingston of Indiana Products Corporation, a corporation Application August 23, 1935, Serial No. 37,491 v 11 Claims. (01.173-328) My invention relates to electrical connection means, and more particularly to means for receiving conductor terminals of the snap type, and the principal object of my invention is to provide new and .improved electrical connection means of these types.

In the drawing accompanying this specification and forminga part of this application, I have shown, for purposes of illustration, one form which my invention may assume, and in this drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of my invention,

Figure 2 is an enlaged longitudinal sectional view of the embodiment shown in Figure 1, and including, n addition, a plug conductor terminal adapted to cooperate therewith,

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken through the biasing means,

Figure 4 is a perspective view illustrating the "parts of the embodiment in disassembled relation, and

Figure 5 is an elevational view of the embodiment, the biasing means being shown in section and partially assembled with the body portion.

Referring to the drawing, the embodiment herein disclosed comprises a terminalpost It, mounted on a base II, the base being fragmentarily shown. The terminal post I comprises a body portion l2 formed of a single piece of sheet metal bent into a generally right angular formation. The body portion l2 comprises a generally vertical plane wall l3 and a generally horizontal plane wall It, the latter extending at right angles iromthe lower end of the vertical wall l3, and the leg 25, the part of the slot 39 adjacent the loop 21 lying in the vertical plane including the serving as a foot for the termlnal'post Ill.

The top margin of the vertical wall I3 is rounded, as shown at I 5, and intermediate the top margin and the lower end, the vertical wall i3 is provided with an be circular.

The opposite vertical margins of the vertical wall i3 are provided with recesses i1 and It, the recess IT, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, being vertically spaced from the recess l9, and formed in the left hand margin of the vertical wall l3 adiacent the circular aperture I 6. The recess I8 is formed in the right hand margin of the vertical wall i3 and extends upwardly from a plane including the upper surface of the horizontal wall it. As clearly shown in Figure 5, the recess I1 is greater in vertical extent than the recess It, for a purpose hereinafter made apparent.

The horizontal wall It is formed with an aperaperture it, here shown to ture l9 through which a screw 20 or any other suitable fastening means may be disposed to fasten the terminal post It to the base i I. In order to prevent the wall or foot it from turning about the fastening means 20, the wall It may have a portion 2| struck downwardly therefrom and fitting into a recess 22 formed in the upper face of'the base ll.

Biasing means are provided to cooperate with the body portion l2, and in this instance, the biasing means comprise a resilient member 23, here u shown to be a leaf-like spring member, generally S-shaped in longitudinal section, and of a transverse width greater than the. thickness of the vertical wall l3, so that when the resilient member 2a is in operative position with respect to the ll body portion l2, parts thereof will be disposed on opposite sides of the vertical wall l3. The resilient member 23 comprises legs 24 and 25, substantially plane and horizontally disposed when in operative position with respect to the body portion I2. The legs 24 and 25 are connected by loops 26 and 21, and an intermediate portion 28, the portion 28 being spaced from and substantially parallel with the legs 2 and 25. The legs 24 and 25, and the intermediate portion 28 are provided withrelatively narrow slots 29, 30, and 9i respectively.

As best seen in Figure 3, the slot 3| extends from the loop 26 to the loop 21. The slot 29 extends from the loop 26 to a point spaced from the free end of the leg 24, the part of the slot 29 adjacent the loop 26 lying in the same vertical plane as the adjacent part of theslot 3|, as illustrated by the broken line 32. The slot 39 extends from the loop 21 to a point spaced from the free end of adjacent part of the slot 3!, as illustrated by the broken line 33. The end of the slot 29 adjacent the free endof the leg 24 is out of alignment with respect to the vertical plane illustrated by the broken line 33 and, as shown in Figure 3, is spaced to the right of this plane. The end of the slot 30 adjacent the free end of the leg 25 is out of alignment with respect to the vertical plane illustrated by the broken line 32 and is spaced to the left of this plane.

The resilient member 23 may be assembled with the body portion l2 by inserting the vertical wall I 3 into the slots 30, 3|, and 29 respectively, the rounded top margin ii of the vertical wall i3 facilitating this insertion. The initial insertion of the vertical wall through the slots 30, 3|, and 29 causes the resilient member 23 to assume a tilted position, as shown in Figure 5, because :u

11, the recess being formed to loosely accommodate the thickness of the leg 24 to provide for movement of the leg 23 and flexing of the resilient member 23. With-the free ends of the legs 24 and 25 accommodated respectively in the recesses l1 and I8, the lower surface of the leg 25 rests on the upper surface of the horizontal wall, and the leg 24 forms a chord across the circular aperture 83 inform a plug conductor receiving recess.

The terminal post 10 may be disassembledby springing the free ends of the legs 26 and 23 out of the recesses l1 and 18 respectively, causing the resilient member to again assume the tilted position shown in Figure 5, and slipping the resilient member 23 from the vertical wall l3.

In Figure 2 is shown a plug conductor terminal 34 adapted to cooperate with the terminal post 10, and comprising a generally cylindrical portion 35 provided with an annular furrow 36, the plug conductor terminal 34 having a fru'stro-conical end 3'l. A conductor 38, disposed within the plug conductor terminal 34, may be fastened thereto, as by swedging, indicated by the swedge indentations 39 in the frustror-conical end 31.

To move the plug conductor terminal 34 into operative position with respect to the terminal post ill, the frustro-conical end 31 is inserted into the aperture I6, initial movement causing the tapered surfaces of the frustro-conical end 31 to abut the adjacent surfaces of the aperture I6 and the leg 24', andcam the leg 24- downwardly, flex-- ing or compressing the resilient member 23. when the annular furrow 36 is brought into alignment with the marginal walls of the aperture IS, the resilient member snaps back into substantially normal position and forces the surface of the annular furrow 38 into engagement with the adjacent portion of the marginal walls of the recess I6. If it is desired to remove the plug conductor terminal 34, withdrawal movement causes the curved surface of the annular furrow 36 to cam the leg 24 of the resilient member 23 downwardly to provide for the removal of the plug conductor terminal 34 from operative position. i

From the foregoing it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the illustrated embodiment of my invention provides a new and improved electrical contact and connection means, economical in construction and assembly, and accordingly, accomplishes at least the principal object of my invention. It further will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the illustrated embodiment of my invention may be variously changed and modified without departing from the spirit of my invention, or sacrificing all of the advantages thereof, and that accordingly, the disclosure herein is illustrative only, and my invention is not limited thereto.

I claim:

1. Receptacle means, comprising: a body por-' tion, having a wall provided with an aperture for receiving a conductor terminal, and also having spaced recesses formed therein, one of said recesses being of a greater size than the other resubstantially uniform in thickness by loop means, so that in assembling, said biasing means may be'slipped over said body wall, said biasing means being constructed and arranged when assembled with the body portion so that a part of the margins of the slot in one portion closely interengages with the margins of the smaller recess to prevent relative movement of the portion with respect to said body portion, and a part adjacent the slot in the other biasing means portion loosely fitting within the larger recess and being adapted to abut the margins of the larger recess so as to limit movement of said other biasing means portion, this latter portion cooperating with said body portion aperture to yieldably engage and hold a conductor terminal disposed in said; aperture.

2. Receptacle means, comprising: a wall, having an aperture for receiving a conductor terminal, and having also spaced abutments formed within the confines of said wall; and biasing means, comprising a plurality of overlying connected portions, said portions being slotted to straddle said wall, and being movable relative to each other in a plane including said wall; one of said portions having limited movement between said spaced abutments formed on said wall, and having a part constructed and arranged to yieldably engage a conductor terminal disposed in said aperture.

3. Receptacle means, comprising: a wall, having an aperture for receiving a conductor terminal, and having also recesses formed in its margin, one of said recesses being of a greater size than the other; and biasing means, comprising a strip of sheet metal bent upon itself to providelegs, each of the legs of said biasing means being provided with slots stopping short of the extremity of saidlegs, and said legs straddling said wall; the extremity of one of said legs closely fitting within'the smaller sized recess to hold this leg against movement with respect to said wall, and the extremity of the other of said legs fitting into the larger sized recess and having limited movement with respect to the marginal surface of this recess, said other leg having a portion constructed and arranged to yieldably engage a conductor terminal disposed in said wall aperture.

4. Receptacle means, comprising: a wall, having an. aperture for receiving a conductor terminal, and having also spaced sets of abutment means formed within the confines of said wall, one set being spaced-apart a lesser distance than the other; and biasing means, assemblable with said wall solely by relative movement, and having spaced portions positioning between respective sets of abutment means when said biasing means is moved to predetermined assembled relation with said wall, to hold said biasing means against displacement from said wall, one of said portions being held against movement within said one set of abutment means, and the other of said portions having limited movement within said other set of abutment means, and being constructed and arranged to yieldably engages. conductor terminal disposed in said aperture.

5. Receptacle means, comprising: a wall, having an aperture for receiving a conductor terminal, and having also spaced sets of abutment means formed within the confines of said wall, one set being spaced-apart a lesser distance than the other; and biasing means, comprising a sheetmetal strip bent to form legs, said legs being 75 cess; and biasing means, having slotted portions slot ed to slidably fit said wall, one leg having a part closely fitting between said one set of abutment means to be held against movement, and the other leg having a part having limited movement within the other set of abutment means, and being constructed and arranged to yieldably engage a conductor terminal disposed within said aperture.

6. Receptacle means, comprising: a wall, having an .aperture for receiving a conductor terminal, and having also recesses in its margins; and biasing means, comprising a sheet-metal strip constructed and arranged to provide a plurality of overlying and connected slotted portions straddling said wall, the slot in the intermediate por tion being somewhat greater than the width of said wall, and the slots in the end portions being substantially equal to the width of said wall but out of alignment with each other, a part of each end portion fitting within a respective recess, and one end portion being positioned to yieldably hold a conductor terminal disposed within said aperture.

7. Receptacle means, comprising: a wall, having an aperture for receiving a conductor terminal, and having also recesses of unequal sizes in its margins; and biasing means, comprising a sheet-metal strip constructed and arranged to provide a plurality of overlying and connected slotted portions straddling said wall, the slot in the intermediate portion being somewhat greater than the width of said wall, and the slots in the end portions being substantially equal to the width of said wall but out of alignmentwith each other, a part of one end portion closely fitting within the smaller sized recess to hold said one end portion against movement with respect to said wall, and a part of the other end portion fitting within the-larger sized recess, and having limited movement between marginal surfaces of up this recess, said other end being constructed and arranged to yieldably engage a conductor terminal disposed within said aperture.

8. Receptacle means, comprising: a body portion, having a wall provided with an aperture for receiving a conductor terminal, and having also spaced recesses iormed therein adjacent the opposite edges of the wall, one 01' said recesses being or a greater size than the other recess and located thereabove; and biasing means, having slotted portions substantially uniform in thickness and connected by loop means, so that in assembling,

said biasing means may he slipped over said bodycess and being adapted to abut the margins of the larger recess so as to limit movement of said other biasing means portion, this latter portion cooperating with said body portion aperture to yieldably engage and hold a conductor terminal disposed in said aperture.

9. Receptacle means, comprising: a wall, having an aperture for receiving a conductor terminal, and having also spaced apart recesses formed in its margin, one of said recesses being of a greater slze than the other and located thereabove; and biasing means, comprising a rectangular strip of sheet metal bent upon itself to provide three legs, the legs oi said biasing means being provided with slots stopping short of the extremities of said legs, and said legs straddling said wall; the extremity of one of said legs, closely fitting within the smaller sized recess to hold this leg against movement with respect to said wall, and the extremity of one of the other of said legs fitting into the larger sized recess and having limited movement with respect to the marginal surface of this recess, and one of said legs having a portion constructed and arranged to yieldably engage a conductor terminal disposed in said terminal receiving aperture.

10. Receptacle means, comprising: a wall, having an aperture for receiving a conductor terminal, and having also spaced apart recesses in its margins; and biasing means, comprising a sheet metal rectangular strip constructed and arranged to provide a plurality of overlying and connected slotted elongated portions straddling and encircling said wall, the slot in the intermediate portion extending longitudinally of the portion and being somewhat greater than the width of said wall, and the slots in the end portions being substantially equal to the width of said wall but out of alignment with each other, a part of one end portion fitting and locked within one recess, and one end portion being positioned for limited movement within the other recess to yieldably hold a conductor terminal disposed within said aperture.

11. Receptacle means, comprising: a wall, having an aperture for receiving a conductor terminal, and having also a pair of spaced apart seats; biasing means, comprising a metal strip constructed and arranged to provide a plurality of overlying and connected slotted portions and a detent adjacent each extremity of the strip, whereby said biasing means may be slipped over said wall to straddle the same in a predetermined position pemiitting the detents to snap into said seats to lock the biasing means and the wall together with one of said slotted portions positioned to intersect said conductor terminal receiving aperture to retain a terminal disposed therein.

HARRY A. DOUGLAS. 

